A monochrome interpretation of an image of the first serious photography trip I made using digital gear, in the Spring of 2004. This waterfall is located within Silver Falls State Park in Oregon.
Scouting in the Redwoods
Much of today was spent scouting for the workshop, Redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which I'm leading this Sunday (spaces still open!), so I brought along my IR-converted 750 to do more experimentation with infrared imaging. This false-color snapshot from the nature trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods is pretty fun in part because the false colors in some ways resonate well with the real color palette of the area. Of course, if nothing else, the foliage is much lighter, a hallmark of near-IR.
Redwoods and Rhododendrons, Del Norte State Park
Redwoods are also on my mind a lot lately, what with the upcoming workshop I'm giving in the Santa Cruz mountains (spaces are still available), in looking through work from various redwoods parks I came across this long-forgotten image from the Damnation Creek trail in Del Norte State Park. I was really taken by the shape of the rhododendron trunks and their contrast with the forms of the redwood trunks, as well as, of course, the color.
Juvenile Penguins, South Georgia Island
This quartet of ne'er-do-well juvenile king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus) at least appeared to me to be considering some mischief. The king penguin colony on South Georgia reaches as many as two hundred thousand birds, it is loud, a bit smelly and an incredible experience.
Penguin Colony, Neko Harbour
Their home is a little chilly, but it's got a wonderful view.
Road through the Buttermilk
My Eastern Sierra workshop last month had some great weather conditions, a single storm cleared out with all sorts of mixed lighting conditions, including this view down onto the Buttermilk (the foothills east of Mt. Whitney), a road winding through those hills, and clouds hugging the mountains behind. I made a lovely 20x13" print of this today for the workshop's review session, and I'm really happy with it, really beautiful textures up close.
Not quite Antarctica...
An Antarctic tern skittering around Grytviken on South Georgia Island, pretty closely resembling his arctic cousins I've encountered many times. In both cases, their behavior can seen cheerful and fluttery from a distance, but they can be pretty fierce when irritated.
I won't be returning to South Georgia Island on my Antarctic expedition in January, but I may get a chance in November of next year, stay tuned...
And more...
Amazing how the light manages to highlight everything just so here. A remarkable moment.
I'd forgotten about this one... one of the reasons I have not shown as much of my Antarctica work generally is that I feel like at least one, perhaps two more visits will be really required to build out a decent body of work. That having been said, this monochrome series looks like one direction to build in... in just a bit under two months!
And a little more in the way of Antarctic coastal landscapes...
Such dramatic far landscapes, I love the "not quite within reach" feel of this set of images from offshore, and the way they communicate a wonderful sense of scale.
More looking forward to the icy continent...
No, really, I'm excited about going back. :)
Longing for Antarctica
I am finding myself more and more excited about January's return to Antarctica. Expect to see a lot more images from my 2013 expedition there in the coming days, such as this soft monochrome panorama from Neko Harbour.
And don't forget the holiday cards are still available at pre-order prices through the 11th!
2015 Holiday Cards!
Once a year I produce a one-time print run of holiday cards with a winter-themed image, and ... it's that time again.
A pair of adorable penguins bowing, seemingly unaffected by the blizzarding snow. For the Gentoo penguin (Pygoscelis papua), the bowing is often a courtship display. This image was taken near Port Lockroy, Antarctica in 2013, and I shot lying down in the snow to better include the stormy bay behind, as well as the texture of the snow in the air.
The interior of the cards are blank, and envelopes are included. Sale prices last until November 11, reflecting that these are pre-orders, which allow me to better gauge how many cards to print. Pre-order prices are $18/10, $30/20, $42/30, $65/50, $115/100, $225/200, plus tax and shipping.
It's easier than ever to order on-line this year, start here!
Cloud Bands, Sierra Crest
Returning from my recent Eastern Sierra workshop, I woke early and started making my way north from Lone Pine toward Independence, and as I drove, early light began to work through the clouds, allowing me to work this light at telephoto focal lengths. I've always been fascinated by cloud bands that hover along mountain ridges, they're not an uncommon sight in fjordy polar places. I've spent some time working today looking at how to create a great print of this image, and it will likely take more work to really nail down, for reasons having to do largely with the very particular shade of orange appropriate to the mountain peaks.
Shifting Clouds, Buttermilk
Shifting clouds during a storm clearing the Sierra and the Buttermilk (the foothills of the Sierra Nevada near Bishop, California). You can work the landscape at telephoto focal lengths!
First Light, Mono Basin
As I've mentioned to a few folks, I'm starting to experiment with a DSLR I've had converted to capture near infrared, this is one of my first test images, taken from the camera near Navy Beach during my Eastern Sierra workshop earlier this month. My plans involve creating monochromatic images with the camera, but the poorly converted false color results here are pretty fun, I have to admit.
More on this process as I continue to explore it...
Throwback Thursday: Painted Hills, John Day Fossil Beds (2004)
From first working trip with a digital camera body in 2004, for many years I overlooked the potential of the images from some parts of the trip because I hadn't really adjusted to how very different digital originals were from the Fuji Velvia slides I'd been shooting until then. In particular, I only rediscovered this image a few years back, but I'm having fun printing a copy of it today and enjoying the memory of that wonderful adventure.
Clearing Mist, Bishop Creek Canyon
Once again I am reminded that the edge of changing weather is often one of the most fertile grounds for new images. Plucked off the side of the steep canyon walls overlooking the South fork of Bishop Creek, these mists only lasted for moments.
An unexpected observation
Blizzards make for wonderful photographic conditions.
Que Seurat Seurat
I love the moments in which the vision of previous artists, in this case George Seurat or at least the pointillists in general, is explained or alluded to. This is a pretty much straight image taken directly from details of the aspens at Conway Summit in the Eastern Sierra.
Rainbow Falls Detail II
I've made a couple trips to Rainbow Falls at Devils Postpile over the years, but got the chance to work through last light tis time for the first time, and also did a good amount of detail shooting from the base. I really like the dark and mysterious figure on the right.